Deep Sea Mining – Page 3 – Republic of Mining

Deep-sea mining talks to resume as interest swells from China to U.S. (Nikkei Asia – March 18, 2024)

March 19, 2024

https://asia.nikkei.com/

U.N. body chief hopes industry can help vulnerable states; ecosystem a concern

TOKYO — International discussions on deep-sea mining resume Monday amid growing interest in countries such as the U.S., which see resources under the oceans as a potential way of diversifying supply chains for critical minerals.

Vast reserves of materials such as copper, nickel and cobalt — now in high demand as a material in batteries and other strategic products — are believed to exist in crusts and nodules across various areas of the sea floor. Hotspots for exploration and extraction include international waters outside any country’s exclusive zone, where there is not yet a regulatory framework in place for commercial mining.

Norway defends deep-sea mining, says it may help to break China and Russia’s rare earths stronghold – by Sam Meredith (CNBC.com January 29, 2024)

January 29, 2024January 29, 2024

https://www.cnbc.com/

Norway says its controversial decision to approve deep-sea mining is a necessary step into the unknown that could help to break China and Russia’s rare earths dominance. In a vote earlier this month that attracted cross-party support, Norway’s parliament voted 80-20 to approve a government proposal to open a vast ocean area for commercial-scale deep-sea mining.

It makes the northern European country the first in the world to move forward with the process of extracting minerals from the seabed. Norway’s government said the practice could be one way to help facilitate the global transition away from fossil fuels, adding that every country should be exploring ways to sustainably collect metals and minerals at their disposal.

Norway becomes first country to back deep-sea mining despite environmental concerns – by Rosie Frost (Ero News – January 11, 2024)

January 12, 2024

https://www.euronews.com/

According to a study by the Environmental Justice Foundation published on the day of the vote, deep-sea mining is not needed for the clean energy transition.

Norway has become the first country in the world to greenlight the controversial practice of deep-sea mining. A bill passed in the Norwegian Parliament on Tuesday (9 January) will accelerate the undersea hunt for minerals needed to build green technology such as batteries for electric vehicles. It authorises opening up parts of the country’s sea to mining exploration.

Around 280,000 square metres of the country’s national waters could gradually be opened up – an area nearly the size of Italy located in the Arctic between Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland.

Deep-sea mining in the Arctic Ocean gets the green light from Norwegian lawmakers (Associated Press – December 5, 2023)

December 5, 2023

https://www.msn.com/

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s minority center-left government and two large opposition parties made a deal Tuesday to open the Arctic Ocean to seabed mineral exploration despite warnings by environmental groups that it would threaten the biodiversity of the vulnerable ecosystems in the area.

Norway said in June it wanted to open parts of the Norwegian continental shelf for commercial deep sea mining in line with the country’s strategy to seek new economic opportunities and reduce its reliance on oil and gas.

The promise and risks of deep-sea mining – by Daisy Chung, Ernest Scheyder and Clare Trainor (Reuters – November 15, 2023)

November 17, 2023

https://www.reuters.com/

A vast treasure of critical minerals lies on the ocean floor. Should they be extracted to help fight climate change?

The International Seabed Authority is working to set regulations for deep-sea mining as companies engaged in the clean energy transition clamor for more minerals. That transition will be a central focus at the United Nations’ COP28 climate summit in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. The most-prominent of the three proposed types of deep-sea mining involves using a giant robot that is sent down to the ocean floor from a support vessel.

This robot travels to depths of roughly 5,000 meters to the ocean floor — the least explored place on the planet. The seafloor, especially in parts of the Pacific Ocean, is covered by potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules that are filled with metals used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

UN body debates proposed regulations amid pressure to allow deep-sea mining – by Dánica Coto (Associated Press/Toronto Star – October 31, 2023)

November 3, 2023

https://www.thestar.com/

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Members of a U.N. body charged with protecting deep international waters met Tuesday to negotiate details of a proposed regulatory framework amid pressure to allow companies and countries to mine minerals from the ocean bed.

The nearly two-week meeting of the International Seabed Authority began Monday in Jamaica but was soon interrupted by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the island and forced organizers to cancel activities for the day. The quake prompted delegates from at least six countries to leave Jamaica, including Panama, Switzerland and New Zealand, all of which support a moratorium on deep-sea mining.

‘Deep Rising’ Review: Jason Momoa Narrates a Murky Doc on Deep-Sea Mining – by Frank Scheck (The Hollywood Reporter – January 21, 2023)

October 26, 2023

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

The actor also executive produced Matthieu Rytz’s film exploring the many issues concerning the mining of the ocean floor.

You can get visual whiplash while watching Matthieu Rytz’s documentary about the geopolitical, economic, social and ecological ramifications of mining the planet’s ocean floors for metals. One minute, you think you’re watching an IMAX documentary about gorgeous creatures of the deep, with enough amazingly translucent jellyfish on display to satisfy any stoner’s need for optical stimuli.

The next minute, there’s seemingly endless footage of discussions going on in corporate boardrooms, congressional hearings, investor meetings and cocktail parties, with the faces of many participants blurred out as if they were appearing on an episode of Cops.

Pacific Seabed Mining Delayed as International Agency Finalizes Rules – by Eric Lipton (New York Times – July 23, 2023)

July 24, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/

Efforts to extract the metals used in car batteries have been pushed off amid pressure from environmentalists and nations that oppose them.

The start of industrial-scale seabed mining to extract car battery metals from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean has been delayed after the international agency charged with overseeing the work concluded late last week that it needed more time to finalize mining rules.

The action by the International Seabed Authority, which had set a July goal for finalizing seabed mining rules, came after pressure from environmentalists and nations that oppose the effort.

Deep-sea mining: A new gold rush or environmental disaster? (Al Jazeera – July 10, 2023)

July 14, 2023

https://www.aljazeera.com/

Environmentalists warn deep-sea mining could cause major damage to unknown ecosystems, yet mining companies argue it is the key to the energy transition.

In the depths of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, trillions of potato-shaped rocks scattered across the seabed contain minerals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese that are vital for green technologies in the global energy transition.

In this region – the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) – an abundance of the rocks, known as polymetallic nodules, is fuelling debate about the mining of metals needed to produce technology such as batteries for electric vehicles.

UN debates deep sea mining as countries and companies now allowed to seek provisional licenses – by Danica Coto (Associated Press – July 10, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://apnews.com/

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.N. agency tasked with regulating the deep sea is debating whether to open the Earth’s watery depths to countries and companies that as of Monday were allowed to start applying for provisional mining licenses.

The International Seabed Authority, based in Jamaica, launched a two-week conference on the issue Monday, a day after it missed a deadline to approve a set of rules and regulations to govern deep sea mining in international waters. “We have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Juan José González, the authority’s council president.

As the world gathers to discuss the perils of deep-sea mining, a Vancouver-based company is forging ahead – by Wendy Stueck (Globe and Mail – July 10, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

As an international body meets Monday to discuss deep-sea mining, the debate around the practice is growing louder, with conservation groups calling for a moratorium and a Vancouver-based proponent saying it hopes to be mining in 2024.

Those competing visions will be front and centre in Kingston, Jamaica, where the International Seabed Authority is scheduled to hold meetings that will largely focus on this issue until July 28.

Deep-sea mining tussle pits France and Germany against China – by Kenza Bryan (Financial Times – July 9, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.ft.com/

Crunch talks in Jamaica to determine future of drive to extract critical minerals from ocean depths

France and Germany are leading a fightback against plans to allow large-scale commercial mining in the deep seas, warning that a China-supported push to harvest battery metals from the seabed could do lasting harm.

Representatives of 168 member states of the International Seabed Authority will gather on Monday for a marathon, three-week negotiation on whether to lay down the first operating guidelines for the nascent industry.

Deep sea mining permits may be coming soon. What are they and what might happen? – by Victoria Milko (Associated Press – July 3, 2023)

July 5, 2023

https://apnews.com/

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The International Seabed Authority — the United Nations body that regulates the world’s ocean floor — is preparing to resume negotiations that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials critical for the green energy transition.

Years long negotiations are reaching a critical point where the authority will soon need to begin accepting mining permit applications, adding to worries over the potential impacts on sparsely researched marine ecosystems and habitats of the deep sea.

Deep-sea mining and species survival – by Craig Guthrie (Mining Magazine – June 21, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.miningmagazine.com/

A battle raging between conservationists and miners which already spans from the desert-like plains of Nevada to the frozen tundra of the Sami in Scandinavia, has found a new flashpoint – a remote, expansive region of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico.

Scientists from Britain’s Natural History Museum (NHM) said in May that as a result of compiling all the records from expeditions to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ, which has been targeted for mineral exploration, they estimate over 5,000 yet-to-be-named species are thriving among the polymetallic nodules resting there.

The revelation has ignited a fresh wave of claims and counter-claims between conservationists striving to protect those newfound species and miners who say minerals from the ocean’s depths are essential for mankind’s shift away from fossil fuels.

OPINION: Your next EV could be made from metals extracted from the seabed – a potential environmental disaster – by Eric Reguly (Globe and Mail – June 17, 2023)

June 19, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The oceans are suffering from chemical pollution, Texas-size patches of swirling plastic, acidification from climate change and overfishing. To that litany of environmental horrors we may soon add subsea mining. Blame the rise of electric vehicles and their voracious demands for “critical” metals.

Norway, the oil powerhouse whose output helped keep hundreds of millions of cars and trucks rolling on European roads, now wants to do the same for EVs. The government plans to submit a proposal this month to parliament that would allow mineral exploration and extraction near Svalbard, its archipelago in the Arctic.